By Jack Giroux/Dec. 31, 2015 5:00 am EST
Chi-Raq — which is about gang violence and clashes with the police — is inspired by the classical Greek comedy Lysistrata. Lee’s film, which drew some misguided outrage for its initial comedic trailer, stars Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight), Teyonah Parris (Dear White People), John Cusack (Love & Mercy), Wesley Snipes (Brooklyn’s Finest), Nick Cannon (America’s Got Talent), Angela Bassett (American Horror Story), and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls).
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a Child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
